Veteran crisis help calls went unanswered as access to counsellors failed to meet demand

15th March 2019
By Andrew Greene

One in three veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems failed to connect with a counsellor when calling an after-hours helpline, previously hidden government figures have shown.
Figures released under of Freedom of Information showed the counselling run by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) had an average call "abandonment rate" of more than 35 per cent in 2016-17, up almost 10 per cent on two years earlier.